NFL Rush Zone: Guardians United
by Violet Rose of Darkness
Summary: After an attack from Wild Card, Ash gains a strange new ability. It isn't long after until the others start to show signs of their own powers. With Wild Card back, the Anticorians still on the loose, and the HOK still down, can the Guardians pull through? Or will these new abilities be their downfall?
1. Chapter 1

**So... this happened. I was just feeling really inspired to write for this fandom. Just know that I won't have any OCs and that the story will mostly be from Ash's POV since she's my favorite character. Anyway, please enjoy! Also, my other story "The New Girl" is probably discontinued. Sorry to anyone who's disappointed.**

OoOoOo

Ash would be lying if she said that she didn't expect this.

Things had been quiet for far too long. With Wild Card and the Anticorians still on the loose, she would have thought that the attack would have come much sooner. The timing was perfect; R.Z. and the Hall of Knowledge were down. Their NFL-Rs were all but obsolete. The Safe Zone was no longer up. Their enemies could attack and they would have been completely helpless to stop it.

So, it came as no surprise when she was cornered by Wild Card on her way home from football practice. It was no surprise, but the timing was particularly unfortunate for her, seeing as though she had no powers. She could have at least taken Ish and Ricky up on their offer to walk home with her, but she- being the stubborn fool that she was- denied it.

But Ashley Reynolds was never one to back down from a fight. So, she stood up straight with her feet planted, her emerald eyes narrowed at her old foe. "Wildcard," she almost spat. "What are you doing here?"

Even though Wild Card's face was covered, she could almost see his smirk. "What else?" he mocked her. "You brats have been a thorn in my side for far too long. I'm getting rid of you once and for all."

The redhead clenched her fist. "I'd like to see you try," she responded. Yet even as she said this, Ash knew that she was bluffing; she had no powers. She was defenseless, powerless even.

He laughed that wicked, maniacal laugh that always sent shivers up her spine. "I see you're as cocky as ever," he observed. He approached her slowly and she instinctively stepped back. "You know, you've always been my favorite guardian. That ferocity, that fire in your eyes. It's something that the other Guardians have never had. It intrigues me."

Ash glared at him. "That means nothing to me coming from you," she bit out. She would never admit it, but Wild Card had always made her feel uneasy. Sure, Sudden Death was pure evil and the Anticorians were outrageously strong, but Wild Card was insane. He had no limits, no boundaries. He had a dangerous edge to him that had always put her off.

She liked to think that she was a good judge of character.

Wild Card laughed at her again. "I guess that's why Sudden Death chose you," he mused. Without warning, he shot a dark violet energy beam at her.

Ash dove onto the ground, the beam barely missing her right shoulder. She immediately leaped to her feet again, her face concealing how worried she was. "Is that all you got?"

"Not even close." He shot at her again and this time she wasn't fast enough to dodge it. The beam ended up grazing her collarbone.

Ash hissed in pain, grasping it; that was going to hurt in the morning. "You don't scare me, Wild Card!" she shouted at him. Despite her injury, Ash didn't feel close to running away or trying to retreat. Her worry suddenly felt like it had disappeared. She felt... determined. She wanted to stand her ground; she wanted to win.

Wild Card cackled at her. "Maybe not now, but I know what does. Once I'm done with you, I'll go after your little friends. One by one, they will all fall to me." He paused, gauging her reaction. "Perhaps I'll keep you alive and make you watch. Heck, I might even stop by the Reynolds household. Your stepmother is pregnant is she not?"

Now, she was just angry. White hot fury coursed through her veins at the thought of Wild Card laying a finger on her parents or her friends. He would never touch them. Not as long as she was around. Not ever.

Unbeknownst to Ash, her eyes began to glow even greener than normal. Her hands shook slightly and the ground trembled beneath her. "You won't touch them!" she seethed, losing her cool completely. Her voice was strong, without waver. "If you lay a hand on them, I will end you, Wild Card!"

Wild Card snorted. "I'd like to see you-" The ground gave way from under him.

Ash gasped lightly, jumping backward as to not fall into the massive hole that had just been formed. "Whoa..." she whispered. She brought her hands up to her face to examine them. "Was... that me?"

That was impossible. Her NFL-R was inactive. She wasn't in her armor either. She didn't have any powers. So what had happened?

Wild Card flew out of the hole and she could tell that he was looking at her with interest. "It seems I've underestimated you," he observed. He didn't sound deterred in the slightest. "Guess we'll have to reschedule this. Farewell, Ashley."

Ash was barely paying him any mind as she continued to stare at her hands. What in the world just happened?

OoOoOo

"Wait, wait, wait," said Marty with his hands up as Ash was telling her story the next day at school. "You're telling me that the ground just opened up? And tried to swallow Wild Card whole?"

The redhead nodded. "Yeah," she answered, playing with a strand of her long, auburn hair. Sometime after their second defeat of Sudden Death, she had started wearing it down more, as she used to when she was younger. She found that she rather liked how it looked now, especially since it reached her waist now. "It was really weird."

"Maybe it wasn't you?" suggested Tua.

Ash shrugged. "Maybe," she admitted. "But I felt... funny right before it happened."

"Funny?" Ricky repeated curiously, regarding her. "Funny how?"

"Well, my hands started shaking," she recalled. She hadn't taken much notice of it at the time, but she remembered how violently her hands had been trembling. "And I felt a rush of energy like I could have run from here to Rhode Island."

Troy raised an eyebrow. "Why Rhode Island?" he asked, only to receive a quick jab to the ribs from Ish. "Ow!" He glared at the boy next to him. "What? I was just asking!"

Ish ignored him and laid a hand on his friend's uninjured shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern shining in his eyes. He couldn't believe that he was the only one bothering to ask her that. She had been attacked by _Wild Card_ for crying out loud!

Ash smiled at him. "I'm fine," she assured him, not bothering to mention her other shoulder. It hurt horribly, but from what she could tell, there was nothing seriously wrong with it. So, it wasn't worth mentioning to her friends.

"I hate to be _that_ guy," Ricky spoke up. "but Wild Card attacked and we have no HOK, no Safe Zone, and our NFL-Rs are as useless as an empty taco shell. What are we going to do?"

"I'll ask my mom if she's any closer to fixing R.Z.," stated Ish. "She said that she was almost done, so we shouldn't have to worry about Wild Card for too long."

"Do you really think that ground thing was you?" Troy asked her.

"I have no idea," Ash confessed. She unconsciously flexed her hands. "It felt like it and Wild Card seemed to think so."

"Could it have been a side-effect of the piece of the Core inside you?" questioned Tua.

She thought about this. That sounded like a plausible theory. But if that were the case, why was she the only one it was happening to? She was about to voice this when Ricky gave a sudden yelp of surprise. Ash looked over to see Ricky's carton of chocolate milk engulfed in frost. The Mexican boy looked just as lost as the rest of them as they openly gawked at him.

"I... think it has something to do with the Core," theorized Marty sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

OoOoOo

Ash sat on the couch, her eyes trained on the TV. She checked the news constantly for any sign of the Anticorians or Wild Card since they didn't have R.Z. to do it for them. She had to stay alert in case they decided to attack Canton or... anywhere else. Of course, with the HOK out of commission they didn't really have transportation for anywhere other than maybe Cleveland.

She couldn't stop thinking about these apparent 'powers' she and Ricky had gotten. Was it the Core inside them? Or was there something else at play? After all, she and Ricky had both been under the control of a villain.

She heard the front door open and shut. "Ash, I'm home!" called Linda from the kitchen.

Ash stood up and walked into the kitchen. "Hi, Linda," she greeted her stepmother. "How was work?"

Linda shrugged. "Work is work, sweetie," she said tiredly. "But I'll be going on maternity leave soon, so that's something to look forward to."

Not for the first time, Ash's eyes traveled to her stepmother's swollen stomach. "Are you nervous?" she asked, fidgeting slightly. "To have the baby, I mean. Isn't it scary? There are so many complications with birth."

Linda gave her a smile. "Of course it's scary, sweetie," she admitted. "but I know it'll be worth it in the end." She sighed. "Even with the slight chance that something happens to me, I have no worries. Because my child will have a wonderful father and a great big sister to look after them."

The redhead blushed. "Well... when you put it like that," she said bashfully. "it doesn't seem so bad."

Linda laughed and kissed her stepdaughter on the forehead. "You're father's going to be home late tonight," she explained. "so why don't we order a pizza? It is a Friday, after all."

Ash scrunched up her nose. "As long as you don't throw it up." She remembered the catastrophe a few weeks ago when they ordered Chinese food. Her own stomach churned just thinking about it.

Her stepmother laughed again. "No promises."

OoOoOo

The next morning, Ash awoke to a string of unread text messages and missed calls from her friends. That was certainly out of the ordinary. She was sure to pick up the next call that answered, which happened to be Marty. "Talk to me," she said groggily. It was rare that the guys would be awake before her, so she figured it must have been an emergency.

"Ash, you might want to get over to Ish's house," said the blond nervously. "Like, right now."

She raised an eyebrow at him, even though she knew that he couldn't see it. "What?" she asked. "Why?"

"Ish... kind of set a fire in his house."

Ash blinked. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right."

"Well," said Marty sheepishly. "it wasn't a big fire. His mom put it out after, like, a second and no one was hurt and-"

"Marty," interrupted Ash. A sense of dread settled in her stomach as she thought about her best friend and what had probably happened. "how did he start the fire? Was he cooking or something?"

There was silence for a few seconds. "No," the blond answered slowly. "He wasn't cooking."

"Then what happened?" she asked in frustration.

"He doesn't know," Marty finally admitted to her. "His mom said that he was just arguing with his mom before it happened. Then, all of a sudden, the towel he was holding burst into flames. Mrs. T put it out and Ish ran to his room. He still hasn't come out. He won't talk to any of us."

Ash pondered this. First, she had made the ground open up. Then, Ricky had frozen his milk carton. And now Ish had set a fire. This couldn't have been a coincidence. They were getting powers outside of Guardian mode.

It was a while before Ash answered her friend. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes," she said firmly, hanging up the phone. She sighed, leaning back against her headboard. This was nothing short of a disaster. Ish's incident was proof that things could get out of control pretty fast.

What if they ended up putting more people in danger as opposed to saving them?

OoOoOo

**Eh, not my best. But I hope you liked it. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Another chapter for you, friends! Please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

When Ash got to the Taylor household, things were tense.

Troy, Tua, and Marty were sitting together on the big couch, each of them looking as nervous as ever. Ricky was sitting in an armchair all by himself as he fidgeted slightly. Mrs. Taylor was pacing the living room but stopped when she saw the redheaded teen. "Ash," she breathed. Without warning, she gathered the girl into a hug. "Thank goodness you're here. I wasn't sure what to do- nothing like this has ever happened before, I-"

Ash gently pulled away, cutting the older woman off. "I promise that I'll explain everything," she swore. "but I need to see him first."

Mrs. Taylor looked at her for a moment before nodding slowly. "Alright," she agreed. "He's... up in his room."

"Thank you," said Ash politely before making her way up the stairs. She climbed them carefully, as if not wanting to scare her friend off. This was ridiculous, of course, since Ish couldn't see her, but that didn't stop her from proceeding with caution anyway.

Once she was at his bedroom, Ash gently rapped her knuckles against the door. "Ish?" she called softly. "It's me, Ash. Marty told me what happened and-" She stopped herself. It was at that moment that she realized that she had no idea what to say. Ish may have been her best friend, but she wasn't equipped to handle a situation like this. Nothing like it had ever happened before.

Taking a deep breath, she re-centered herself. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she continued. "No one blames you for what happened, you know. We just want to see how you're doing."

There was a moment of silence before Ish finally responded. "Come in," he muttered quietly.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief before turning the knob and entering her best friend's room. Ish was sitting on his bed, his back towards her. His fists were grasping his bed's duvet so tight that she thought his knuckles would turn white.

She took a seat next to him, making sure to give him enough space. "Hey, buddy," she greeted, trying to sound positive. The situation must have been dire for him; he could have hurt his mother. If Ash had ever hurt her father or Linda or (God forbid) her unborn sibling, she would never forgive herself.

"Hi," Ish replied curtly, still not looking at her.

"So..." began Ash awkwardly. "Fire, huh? That's pretty neat."

He grimaced. "I wouldn't call almost hurting my mom neat," he commented dryly.

She sighed. "Ish, your mother isn't mad at you," she assured him. "She's just worried- we all are. Whatever happened this morning wasn't your fault, okay?" She raised her hands, her eyes settling on them. "These powers... we didn't ask for them. They just appeared out of nowhere. I get it." She crouched down in front of him to meet his gaze. "But that doesn't make them bad."

Ish averted his eyes. "It does if they hurt people," he pointed out.

"Then we make sure they don't," countered Ash. Taking a chance, she laced her fingers with his. "We can learn to control them. Just like we learned how to use our suits."

"That was when we had R.Z. to help," he reminded her. He didn't let go of her hand, so she took that as a good sign. "But we don't have him to help now. We don't even know what's happening to us."

"Whatever is happening to us isn't a bad thing," she reasoned, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. She was breaking his resolve, she could see it. "Especially if they come from the Core. They're... a gift. Just like R.Z. said about the Core pieces inside us."

Finally, Ish curled his fingers around her. "Maybe... you're right," he conceded.

Ash gave him a playful smirk. "Of course I am." Still holding his hands, she stood up and brought him up with her. "Feel better?"

He gave her a small smile. "A little," he admitted. His eyes were downcast. "I still feel like a crappy son, though."

She shrugged at him. "I've felt like an awful daughter once or twice in my life," she mused, recalling all the times she had lashed out at her father. "It happens. I talked to your mom and she isn't angry with you. She's just worried. We all are."

Ish sighed. "I know," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

Ash gave him a hug. "Don't worry about it, buddy," she assured him. The only reason she hadn't freaked out like him was that she hadn't hurt anyone- not even Wild Card who had been the target of her attack. "Why don't we go downstairs and let everyone know you're okay, yeah?" He hesitated a bit before nodding.

OoOoOo

There was visible relief on Mrs. Taylor's face when the two teens returned. "Oh, honey," she breathed, bringing her son in for a hug that lasted for a while. She pulled away after a few seconds, seemingly to check him over. "Are you okay?" She took his hands. "You're not hurt, are you? Your hands don't hurt, do they? No burn marks?"

Usually, Ish would have pulled away from his mother's doting in front of his friends, but not today. Today, he just smiled at her. "I'm fine, Mom," he assured her. "I'm okay." He sighed. "And I'm really sorry."

She ruffled his hair. "It's fine, sweetie," she promised. Her eyes settled on Ash, whom she smiled warmly at before bringing them both back into the hug. "It was a good choice sending you in, Ash."

Ash blushed a little. "Just being a friend, Mrs. Taylor," she replied. Though she had never said this to anyone, she looked up to the woman. She was intelligent, resourceful, had an important job, and had the perfect family. What more could anyone want in life?

Mrs. Taylor pulled away, giving the group of friends a meaningful look. "I'll leave the six of you to your own devices," she decided. "I'm this close to finishing R.Z.'s repairs. Once I do that, fixing the HOK should be a piece of cake." With that, she took her leave.

The Guardians looked at each other and it was painfully clear that the boys weren't going to bring this up. So, Ash cleared her throat. "Since half of us have now gained these abilities, I think it's time that we make a decision about them," she announced.

"Yeah," agreed Marty. "We're supposed to protect people. We can't be the ones that hurt them." He cringed at his own words. "No offense, Ish."

But Ish waved him off. "No worries."

"So, what can we do?" asked Troy.

"Well, you three should just be on the lookout," Ricky suggested to him, Tua, and Marty. "Your powers could come out at any time." He looked to Ish and Ash. "The three of us need to find a place to get used to these... _abilities_."

"Well, you can't use the HOK," Tua reminded them. "We don't want to wreck it more than it already is. Is there anywhere else?"

Ish gave a thoughtful hum. "Mom mentioned something about a new room that's been installed in the Hall of Fame," he recalled. "They haven't decided what to use it for yet and it's made out of steel. Could that work?"

Ash smiled at him. "I think so," she said. "If your mom's okay with it, that might just be our space to get a handle on these powers." She felt hope bubble in her chest; perhaps they could eventually wield these powers to their advantage.

OoOoOo

Sometimes, Ash tinkered with her NFL-R when no one was looking.

It was silly, really. She thought she could trigger a reaction out of it or something. But she knew that it was impossible. Without R.Z. and the HOK, the NFL-R's were useless. This was because the HOK was their direct line to the Core. True, it was the piece of the Core inside each Guardian that allowed for the transformation, but it was the HOK that acted as a direct Conduit to the Core under it. And the Core allowed the NFL-R's to work.

So, all-in-all, it was utterly pointless. That didn't stop her from trying, though.

Ash finally sighed, throwing her NFL-R aside. As much as she wanted it to happen, the HOK was still out of order. R.Z. was still... gone. It was at that moment that her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Uh, Ash?" came the nervous response.

"Yes, Ricky?"

"I may have accidentally frozen myself to my railing..."

She sighed slightly, but couldn't help the slight smile that adorned her face. "I'll be right over," she told him, pulling herself up from the bed. "Do you want me to stay on the line?"

"_Por favor_," replied Ricky.

"Alright," agreed Ash. "Now, is it just one hand or both?"

"Just one," he answered. "It just happened out of nowhere."

"I see," she said, amused. "Why'd you call me?"

"Well, it's kind of hard to use a phone with one hand," Ricky told her sheepishly. "And you're the first one in my contacts. Besides, you're good at problem-solving. I just thought you'd be the best one to help with this."

Ash chuckled. "I'm walking out the door now," she announced. "Stay strong, okay?"

"Sure thing, _Princesa_."

She scowled at that. "I told you to stop calling me that."

"We both know that it's never going away."

OoOoOo

When Ash got to Ricky's house, the front door was unlocked. Ricky was at the bottom of the staircase, his hand stuck onto the railing just as he said. She gave a hum as she approached her Mexican friend. "Well, this is strange," she commented, examining his hand. There was a bit of frost connecting it to the railing."How did this happen, buddy?"

Ricky shrugged as well as he could with one arm. "I was just walking to the kitchen," he explained.

Ash bit her lip. "I think a cup of warm water should do it," she decided. "I'll go get that." She walked into the kitchen and filled a cup with water from the sink. She soon returned to her friend and slowly poured the water onto his hands.

Sure enough, Ricky's hand got loose enough that he was able to take it off the railing. "_Gracias, chica_," he said gratefully. He sat on one of the steps. "Learning to control our powers is a good idea."

Ash nodded, sitting down next to him. "Is it," she agreed. He was taking this... surprisingly well. Better than Ish was, at least. Then again, Ricky hadn't put anyone in danger. Well, not yet, anyway. "Why aren't you freaking out about this?"

He shrugged. "Why aren't you?" he shot back at her. "You've been, like, really cool about this whole thing ever since it started."

"Well," she said, pondering his words. He was right, though. She hadn't really reacted to the situation. "I guess I figured that there was no point in getting myself all worked up about it. Which is a good thing, I guess, since they seem to fluctuate with our emotions."

"Have your powers come up since yesterday?" asked Ricky.

Ash shook her head. "No," she answered. "But I do have a theory. If our powers are linked to our emotions, then maybe they're linked to certain emotions. Mine came up when I had to protect myself. Ish's activated when he got worked up." She furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "What were you feeling at the time, Ricky?"

For some reason, he looked away from her. "I wasn't really feeling anything," he told her. "I was just... thinking. Both times."

She raised an eyebrow. "About?" she pressed. He must have been thinking about something important if it activated his powers.

"Nothing important," said Ricky hurriedly. "Just random stuff."

Ash decided not to push him. "Well, okay," she accepted. If he didn't want to talk about it, then who was she to pester him about it? So, she decided to change the subject. "When do you think the others will get theirs?"

"I have no idea," he admitted. He looked over at her before standing up. "Since you're here, Ash, why don't we go do something?"

She tilted her head. "Like what?" she asked.

Ricky shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "Why don't we hit up the field?"

Ash hummed in thought. "Sounds good," she agreed, standing up with him. "Let's go." The two left Ricky's house together, unaware of what was going to greet them at the football field.

OoOoOo

**Hmm... I wonder what's going to happen at the field... Be here next chapter to find out! I hope you liked it and please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here you go, Stooges. Another chapter. Please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

Ash and Ricky strolled side-by-side in the direction of the football field. However, something felt different to the redhead this time. Even though she had made this exact walk thousands of times before, there was something strange about this time. Her hands tingled slightly and she felt a sort of... pull towards the ground. Like it was calling to her.

"Ash?" asked Ricky, bringing the girl back to reality. He was a few feet away from her and she hadn't even noticed that she had stopped walking. "Are you okay?"

Ash didn't say anything as she knelt on the ground, placing the palm of her hand onto the ground. Nothing happened for a while until a little flower started to sprout in front of the ground. It wasn't big and it was just a simple daisy, but that didn't stop her from beaming.

"Whoa..." whispered Ricky from behind her. "Ash, that's amazing! I didn't know you could do that."

She turned to him and smiled. "Neither did I," she admitted. She didn't know that she had a connection to nature as well. She stood up and faced him completely. "but it's like I told Ish before, these powers don't have to be a bad thing." She handed him the flower. "They can be beautiful too."

He smiled back at her and took the daisy. "I think you're right," he agreed. The two began walking once more.

However, when they got to the football field, both Guardians immediately got into fighting stances. "Stellaria," hissed Ash in anger. Of all their enemies, Stellaria was the only one to disturb her almost as much as Wild Card. She was sly, dangerous, and manipulative. It was always the second hands you had to look out for...

The Anticorian woman was leaning against the goal post, a smirk on her face. "Guardians," she greeted with a nod. Right now, she was in human clothes and was fooling just about everyone who didn't know her tricks. "I've been waiting for you."

"You're not welcome here," snapped Ricky. "Leave or we'll make you."

Stellaria laughed. "I'd like to see you try," she taunted. "Last time I checked, your precious R.Z. was broken."

"We don't need R.Z. to handle _you_!" growled Ash. Her temper was rising, but she quickly shoved it down. If she lost control of her powers, then how was she going to convince the others that theirs weren't bad? Ricky laid a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, which she appreciated.

The Anticorian cackled at her. "Oh, right," she said resolutely. "I'd forgotten about your new abilities."

Ash gasped; how could she possibly know that? "How did you-?"

"Oh, we've been watching you Guardians for a while now," interrupted Stellaria. She approached the two teens slowly. "Of course, your so-called powers shouldn't be a problem. From what I've seen, you can hardly control them. You're just about useless."

"You don't know anything," spat Ash. Although she would never admit it, she knew that her nemesis was right. They couldn't control their powers. Well, she kind of could, but not really. It had just been luck, really.

Stallaria laughed. "Prove it," she mocked. She opened her arms, leaving herself defenseless. "Come on then, Guardians. Attack me."

Ricky and Ash glanced at each other, knowing that they were in over their heads. They couldn't beat Stellaria, that was just fact. The redhead tilted her head at her friend and he responded with a nod. With one more look back at Stellaria, the two took off running in the other direction.

She hated this- hated running from a fight. But it was necessary. Her powers showing themselves against Wild Card had been a fluke; she couldn't depend on them now.

Ricky was keeping pace with her. "Do you think we should call the others?" he asked.

Ash shook her head. "It wouldn't help," she told him. "They're just as defenseless as we are. Bringing them here would just put more of us at risk." She focused her eyes forward. "The best thing to do is to try to outrun her. Is she following us?"

He glanced back. "Well, she's not running behind us," he answered. "but it's Stellaria. She always has a trick up her sleeve."

She hummed in thought. "Then we'll just have to lose her," she reasoned. "This way." The two quickly ducked into an alleyway. Immediately, she approached the manhole at the center.

Ricky gave her a dull look. "It's come to this, huh?"

Ash glared at him. "Just help me with this thing," she ordered. He obliged and the two pried the manhole open. She climbed down and he followed her, making sure to close the manhole as soon as he could.

"This is disgusting," he stated plainly when they touched down.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you have a better idea?"

Ricky sighed. "Point taken," he muttered. "Do you know where you're going?"

Ash shrugged. "No," she answered, taking out her phone. "but that's what we have a GPS for." She opened the app but hesitated in typing on the location. "Where should we go?"

"As far away as we can," he responded. "We can't go to any of our houses, the Anticorians know where we live."

She nodded; with Linda at home and pregnant, she knew couldn't risk going home. "We should go to the outskirts of town," she suggested. "They might be able to get into city limits now, but no one could be able to guess that we'd be outside of them."

"Good plan," agreed Ricky. "I guess we start walking now."

Ash sighed; she wasn't looking forward to trekking through the sewer anymore than he was. "Unfortunately," she remarked.

OoOoOo

When they finally reached their destination, Ash could have cried tears of joy. The smell had been so overwhelming that she had been close to vomiting more than once. So, when they came up to the surface, she breathed in as much fresh air as she could. "Oh, thank goodness," she said, relieved. "I never thought we'd get out of there."

Ricky chuckled, closing the manhole behind them. "It is nice after smelling nothing but sewage for an hour," he agreed. He looked out towards the horizon where the sun was setting. "How long do we have to stay here?"

She sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "If we go into the city, there's nothing to stop Stellaria from attacking us again. And we certainly can't go home. That'll just put our families at risk." Normally, they would just go to the HOK, but there was no use since it was down. If they went to the Hall of Fame, they would put innocent people in danger.

"Our families will start to get worried," he told her.

Of course, Ash knew that. "I know." She took out her phone and grimaced at the amount of missed calls and unread messages. "I'll call Ish and ask him to cover for us. That should buy us some time." She dialed her best friends number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?" came Ish's voice.

"Hi, Ish," the redhead greeted. She had never been so happy to hear his voice in her life.

"Ash!" exclaimed Ish in what sounded like relief. "You're okay! Thank god. We've been trying to call you and Ricky for the past two hours! Where are you guys?"

"I told you, they were probably making out!" Troy commented in the background.

"Shut up, Troy," snapped Ish.

Ash promptly ignored that little exchange. "We were at the field when we were attacked by Stellaria," she explained. "We ran through the sewers to lose her, but now we can't go back. Cover for us?"

"Of course," her friend promised. "Are you guys alright?"

"Other than smelling like a sewer," said Ricky bluntly. "we're doing pretty good."

"We're going to stay where we are tonight," Ash told him. She sighed in exhaustion. Sleeping on a hill with no protection sounded awful, but they didn't have a choice. At least it was the beginning of September, so they didn't need blankets or anything. "then we'll work something out in the morning. We just couldn't risk putting Canton in danger."

"We understand," Ish assured her. "Just be careful, you two. Keep us updated."

"We will. Bye, Ish."

"Bye."

Ash sighed as she hung up, massaging her temples. "This is a disaster," she stated plainly. They were completely stuck; they couldn't go anywhere without the chance of the Anticorians following them.

Ricky shrugged. "It could be worse," he said. "It could be December."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Not helping." She looked around and grimaced slightly at her surroundings. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep out here, so I guess I'll take watch for tonight."

He looked affronted at that. "All night?" he asked in disbelief. "Are you sure?"

Ash nodded. "I'll be fine," she assured him. She patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about me, you get some sleep. I'd build a fire if I didn't think that it would attract our enemies."

OoOoOo

She was enjoying herself way too much.

Ash couldn't help but grin as she commanded a vine to swipe Ricky's hat while he was sleeping yet again. It was so simple and silly, yet she found herself thoroughly entertained. She chortled to herself before finally stopping, yawning slightly. These powers of hers were fun to use. And since she couldn't sleep anyway, it was the perfect time to practice using them.

Ricky cracked an eye open. "Having fun, _Princesa_?" he asked playfully.

She blushed at being caught. "Sorry," she said. "Did I wake you?"

He sat up, sitting directly next to her. "I never really fell asleep," he told her. "You seem to be getting the hang of these powers pretty fast."

Ash shrugged. "I just try not to think about them too much," she said. "Besides, they work pretty similarly to our Guardian powers, don't they? Just think of what you're going to do and then they'll respond." She had been thinking about it a lot in the last few hours.

"I... haven't really tried," confessed Ricky.

"Well, now is a pretty good time to start," she suggested. She pointed to a nearby lake. "Here, try freezing a part of it." She really wanted to see the full extent of his powers.

He glanced at her before holding his hand out. A slight frost emitted from it, but that was it. The lake didn't freeze at all. "Dang..."

Ash waved it off. "You probably just need some time," she assured him. "You'll get the hang of it, Ish will too. I believe in you both."

Ricky yawned. "I guess you're right..." He looked up at the night sky. "You know, you never really see all these stars in the city."

"Light pollution," she responded, following his gaze. "I guess that it's easier to see them when there's no light." She gestured around them.

"Hey, Ash."

"Yes?"

He looked at her. "I know you lived in San Diego before living here," he said. "but where did you live before that? Ish said that you had just moved there when he became a Guardian."

"Oh, I lived in Rhode Island," answered Ash. "New England, you know? It's where my m-" She stopped, painful memories coming back to haunt her. She quickly cleared her throat. "It's where my Dad moved to after graduating college."

Ricky looked concerned, but (thankfully) didn't press. "Cool," he commented. "We always lived in Phoenix before moving here."

She chuckled, a more cheerful memory coming to mind. "Do you remember when Ish found out that the Chargers relocated to LA?" she asked him, changing the subject.

He laughed. "Yeah," he responded. "I thought he was going to burst into tears."

Ash sighed and looked back up at the sky. "I hope Mrs. Taylor gets the HOK up soon," she said forlornly. "We can't stay out here for the rest of our lives."

"We won't," Ricky assured her. "Trust me, _chica_, everything's going to be okay."

She certainly hoped it would be.

OoOoOo

**I really had to force this out. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!**


End file.
